Who Is Amanda Nguyen? Her Remarkable Journey with Blue Origin Is the Only Story That Matters

Amanda Nguyen took her trauma and created something incredible

Amanda Nguyen had hopes of becoming an astronaut — she had interned twice at NASA — and was studying astrophysics at Harvard when she was raped in her senior year. Upon finding out that the rape kit would be destroyed six months later — and after receiving a $4,000 hospital bill – Nguyen, along with other survivors, created Rise, and paused her astronaut dreams. They wrote a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights which became federal law in 2016 thanks to President Barack Obama. Nguyen was later nominated for a Nobel Prize in 2019 and in 2022, was named on of TIME Women of the Year. 

Unexpectedly, Nguyen got her chance to go to space in 2025 with Blue Origin. Alongside the rich and famous, the astrophysicist brought both her trauma and her research onto the space ship. “All astronauts have a zero-g indicator when we reach space; it’s a little something that floats,” she told TIME. For her, the special object was a note that she wrote after she was raped that read: “Never, never, never give up.” Nguyen also had two research projects that she was testing while up in space. She tested a new fabric for spacesuits to see if it could absorb blood. (Women have historically been excluded from space travel for fear of menstrual blood.) She was also testing if a certain electrical chip could detect breast cancer in astronauts. Clearly, the cringe of the Blue Origin trip has nothing to do with Nguyen. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).